Martial Immortality: Starting with the Spirit Beast Scroll

Chapter 317: Chapter 305: Sharpness

The Teaching Elder barked a command, and Tao Yuanqing and Zhao Lin instantly sprang into action.

Tao Yuanqing shot backward, throwing out a hand to cast a spell: the Divine Movement Skill!

Watching from the sidelines, Yun Jinda grimaced. ’Isn’t that the same tactic I used the day before yesterday?’ he thought.

’This opening... It’s not looking good for him!’

Zhao Lin launched himself forward with great strides, his hand already forming a spell.

In the blink of an eye, he shot forward dozens of feet, rapidly closing the distance between them.

"Ice Blade Skill!"

The moment the magic took shape, Zhao Lin swept his hand down, cleaving the air and sending out an ice blade.

A streak of silver light shot straight for Tao Yuanqing’s chest!

"How is he so fast?"

Dean Pang’s heart skipped a beat. ’Tao Yuanqing’s Divine Movement Skill has reached Minor Achievement, allowing him to cast it in half a breath. Zhao Lin took the exact same amount of time, which means his Ice Blade Skill must also be at the Minor Achievement Level.’

’How is that possible?’

’Hasn’t this Martial Cultivator only been in the sect for a year?’

’Compared to the Proficient Level, the Minor Achievement Level Ice Blade Skill not only doubles the casting speed but also allows the caster to control the blade with their Divine Sense.’

’If Zhao Lin has only mastered the speed, that’s one thing, but if he has both abilities, this could get ugly!’

The other two elders, Zhou Hongfang and Nie Wu, were also stunned. They knew Zhao Lin’s Ice Blade Skill had been at the Proficient level. ’Did he have a breakthrough in the last couple of days?’

This detail was only noticed by the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and a few experienced cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm. The ordinary disciples merely felt that Zhao Lin had cast his magic a little faster than they’d expected.

With the Divine Movement Skill active, Tao Yuanqing dodged nimbly to the side, avoiding the ice blade, then turned and dashed toward the edge of the field.

His hand seals changed rapidly as he prepared to cast the Vine Whip Skill to keep Zhao Lin at bay.

’Though I’ve never fought a Martial Cultivator,’ he thought, ’it’s common sense not to let them get close. Zhao Lin just used a spell, so he can’t possibly cast another one this quickly.’

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a sense of alarm flared in Tao Yuanqing. A silver glint appeared in his peripheral vision, shooting toward his right flank like a bolt of lightning.

The ice blade had circled around and was coming back!

"Minor Achievement Level Ice Blade Skill!"

"Whoa, a Martial Cultivator who can use magic! How are you supposed to defend against that?"

The disciples on the sidelines, who had a clear view, cried out in alarm.

Tao Yuanqing twisted sharply, the ice blade grazing the robes at his waist as it flew past. But the sudden movement threw his footwork into disarray, and the spell he was casting faltered.

The rest of the match was almost a carbon copy of Zhao Lin’s fight against Yun Jinda two days ago.

Zhao Lin rapidly closed the distance. Tao Yuanqing, with no time to cast a second offensive spell, could only throw up a defensive one to buy himself a moment.

But Zhao Lin’s fists were incredibly hard. He shattered the defense in just a few blows and landed a direct hit with his Celestial Frost Fist.

A column of frigid mist condensed, the sheer force of the energy crystallizing into frost. The power of the fist felt tangible.

Protected by the Wood-Earth Reinforcement Array, Zhao Lin didn’t hold back, putting twenty years of his martial arts training into a single punch.

Tao Yuanqing felt a bone-deep chill spread through him. A wave of dizziness washed over him as his body was dragged away by an immense force.

The world blurred. When he came to his senses, he was already outside the competition field, right next to the goat that had been used to test the array.

"Junior Brother Zhao, your martial arts are profound and your magic is brilliant. I concede."

Tao Yuanqing’s face flushed, then paled, and he was filled with regret.

’If I’d known it would go like this, I should have just gone on the offensive from the start. Win or lose, at least I would have lasted longer.’

"Thank you for the match."

Zhao Lin cupped his fists in reply and walked to the sidelines to rest.

The watching disciples let out a collective sigh. They hadn’t expected the match to end so quickly—it had lasted less than ten breaths. Tao Yuanqing hadn’t even managed to cast a single proper spell before Zhao Lin had brutally punched through his defenses.

Yun Jinda felt a little better about himself. ’Looks like my loss wasn’t so shameful after all,’ he thought. ’Thinking about it now, unless you’ve cultivated a spell to the Mastery Level, no tactic is going to work against Zhao Lin.’

The second match: Fang Qinglu of Juyan Province versus Wang Jing of the Western Ox Continent.

Wang Jing had a calm expression as he retrieved a Judge’s Brush from his storage pouch and held it in his palm.

The Judge’s Brush was slightly larger than a common calligraphy brush, about a handspan long and as thick as a thumb. It was pitch-black like ink, and its tip gleamed with a cold light.

It was the first time Zhao Lin had seen someone use a magical artifact, and he couldn’t help but stare.

’Controlling a magical artifact requires a certain level of Divine Sense, Spiritual Power, and magical proficiency. You need to be at least in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, and your magic has to have reached the Minor Achievement Level.’

’If your Divine Sense and Spiritual Power are lacking, you can’t even activate the artifact. And without the right magic to control it, it can’t unleash its full power.’

’There are three key elements in a cultivator’s duel: Mana, Magic, and Magical Artifacts.’

’To use a martial arts analogy, Mana is like raw strength, and Magic is like the techniques you use.’

’And magical artifacts... they’re the weapons.’

’Mana and Magic are indispensable, but magical artifacts are optional.’

’A powerful duelist can be formidable even without a magical artifact, but a good one can significantly increase their killing power.’

’Magical artifacts drain both Divine Sense and Mana, so for many disciples who’ve only been cultivating for a few years, they can actually be more of a hindrance.’

’The fact that Wang Jing is daring to use a magical artifact in this duel means he must be highly proficient with it.’

’And Fang Qinglu is a Sword Cultivator, so his flying sword is also a magical artifact.’

With two disciples wielding magical artifacts facing off against each other, the crowd watched with wide eyes. A clash between magical artifacts was far more dangerous than one between spells; a duel could be evenly matched one moment and decided the very next.

"Begin!"

The Teaching Elder’s voice dropped.

Fang Qinglu formed a sword formula with his hand, and with a point of his fingers, a flying sword shot out from his sleeve.

Wang Jing’s brow twitched. Seeing the flying sword tear through the air, he knew he could never match a Sword Cultivator for speed. He immediately deployed a Spiritual Energy Shield, enveloping himself within it.

A Spiritual Energy Shield wasn’t as effective as a proper defensive spell, but it was much quicker to cast.

At the same time, he tossed out his Judge’s Brush, directing it with the Spirit Sword Skill to fly straight at Fang Qinglu.

Sword Cultivators excelled at offense; to fight one was to invite disaster if you only defended. Wang Jing was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, so even while maintaining the Spiritual Energy Shield, he had enough surplus Mana to control his magical artifact.

The flying sword’s speed was astonishing. The Judge’s Brush had barely traveled a hundred feet before the sword slammed into the Spiritual Energy Shield.

HISS!

The Spiritual Energy Shield shuddered, Spiritual Qi parting from the point of impact like ripples in water.

Wang Jing gritted his teeth, gathering Spiritual Power to mend the shield while continuing to send the Judge’s Brush flying toward Fang Qinglu.

Fang Qinglu stood his ground, motionless. He directed the flying sword to circle once before it suddenly accelerated and slashed down again.

With another sharp CRACK, the Spiritual Energy Shield shook even more violently, forcing Wang Jing to pour more Spiritual Power into it.

The Spiritual Power diverted to his Judge’s Brush dwindled, and its speed slowed.

Zhao Lin shook his head slightly. ’He’s trying to defend but is unwilling to give up his attack. In the end, he’ll likely fail at both.’

’But putting myself in his shoes,’ he mused, ’I’m not sure there’s a better option. Fang Qinglu has already seized the initiative.’

A corner of Fang Qinglu’s mouth curled up. Ignoring the approaching Judge’s Brush completely, he commanded his flying sword to rise into the air once more.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! It struck three times in quick succession.

CRACK...

A fissure finally appeared on the Spiritual Energy Shield.

Horrified, Wang Jing abandoned control of his Judge’s Brush and desperately poured more Spiritual Power into the shield, trying to pull it back together.

But... it was too late.

The flying sword, as if it had a mind of its own, dove straight for the fissure. Before it even reached it, the tip of the sword spat out a beam of red light that shot through the crack, aimed directly at Wang Jing’s throat!

"Ah!"

With a flicker of Mana, Wang Jing was teleported out of the arena.

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